Green hydrogen on HZI biogas plant

In San Luis Obispo in California, around 36,500 US tons of biogenic waste are currently processed annually into biogas using HZI's proprietary Kompogas dry fermentation process, producing more than 6 million kWh/a of electricity and around 1,700 US tons of liquid fertilizer. In addition, 18,000 US tons of solid digestate are produced annually, which in the future will be processed into 1,320 US tons of green hydrogen and 2,800 US tons of biochar in the new installation being built, the company writes. The hydrogen is expected to be fed into the grid, while the biochar will be used to upgrade farmland, it said. This will completely close the plant's material cycle, it said. "We are pleased to be working with HZI - a global developer of anaerobic digestion systems that recently celebrated its 100th Kompogas plant - to further enhance the value of the waste streams they process," said Andrew White, CEO of CHAR. "HZI's SLO plant currently produces green power from green garbage can waste, and expanding it with our system will allow for additional green hydrogen production for the California market."

Future oriented installation

With the installation of the CHAR system on one of its plants, HZI is entering new territory, according to the technology provider. It is now a matter of testing and further development, it said. "We are always looking for solutions to further improve our negative carbon footprint and get even more value from the waste that is processed in our plants. Installing CHAR's innovative technology to produce green hydrogen and biochar at the San Luis Obispo Kompogas facility underscores our commitment to decarbonizing the economy," said Heath Jones, managing director of HZI USA.

The project is set up in such a way that CHAR will initially act as the project owner and HZI will take over the plant operation. After the defined test phase or project handover, HZI will have the option to purchase the plant for a one-time payment.

San Luis Obispo Lighthouse Project

The Kompogas plant in San Luis Obispo is a beacon for HZI in many respects. When it comes on stream in 2018, it will be the first Kompogas plant in the U.S. and also the first that HZI not only developed and built, but also fully owns and operates itself. The project is part of California's carbon footprint reduction program, which was launched in 2016. It has ambitious goals, such as diverting organic waste away from landfills and generating renewable energy. The state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion facility, he said, is helping to realize the state's forward-looking goals. Since 2018, HZI has won additional renewable gas projects in North America. "Various interesting projects are in the pipeline or about to be realized," emphasizes Heath Jones, looking ahead to HZI USA's future activities in the North American market.

Source: Hitachi Zosen Inova AG